McCoy Pauley
Get out of here Budweiser!
- Joined
- 12 November 2009
- Posts
- 616
- Reactions
- 0
I went to buy a video camera on the weekend. I started my search in JB Hi-Fi (JBH) because I've always found the staff to be knowledgeable and have good deals. The camera I want was listed at $398 and the sales assistant said they could do it for $367. He was not at all knowledgeable or helpful.
I got out of there and ended up buying the identical camera up the road at Harvey Norman (HVN) for $333. This included a bonus carry bag and battery. The girl there was very helpful and did know her stuff.
Certainly this could be a one-off experience and I'm cautious about reading too much into it.
But for the first time in 7 years I'm feeling bearish about JBH.
Anyone have any other similar (or contrasting) experiences they can share?
I've had experiences consistently with JB Hi-Fi over the past 5 years which indicates that customer service does not appear to be high on the list of priorities of the executives running the company. Routinely, I've had to go hunting for people to help me with a query or a product sale.
The most recent occurrence was about 18 months ago when I was looking to purchase a present for my wife for Mothers Day. Despite a number of customer service staff present in the area of products I was interested in, not one offered to assist me. I walked out of JB Hi-Fi and bought the same product (cheaper) at Myer.
I haven't shopped at JB Hi-Fi for years now, I reckon. I think the culture changed when the company listed.
Disc - do not own shares in JBH.
I have had the opposite experience. Went to buy a new TV and PVR from Harvey Norman and must have got the worst salesman alive. He knew less about his products than I did (which wasn't heaps) and constantly interrupted either us or himself to wave at friends, talk to other staff etc. We then went to JBH where a young guy was very informative, polite, helpfull and we negotiated a better price than at HVN.
I have received good service and prices at both stores in the past, but find at Harvey's it's a bit hit and miss depending upon which section you're shopping in, or maybe just the particular salesman you deal with (when you can manage to grab one). In my area Harvey's salesstaff are mainly late 20's to middle-aged and dress conservatively, whereas JB staff are mainly young and tattoos etc are almost mandatory. Maybe it's just me, but if I want a fridge, washing machine etc I'll head to Harvey Norman, but if I want techno stuff you can't beat the youngsters for knowledge. The kids use it, know it and can explain it better I find.
Don't own shares in either atm, but had a lovely run with JBH for a while
Sorry to be blunt and i hope no one is offended, but seriously other then a low yeild, the merits of JBH as a good investment do not warrant at present any questioning.....
Further people in here have falsly or naively claimed JBH is losing its competitive edge...this is false
It lowered its CODB from 15.3% to 14.9% and is an industry leader in this by over 4% and importantly at the same time its EBIT and NPAT increased significantly...
Unlike the other electronic retailers JBH has a focus on personal enetertainment and has selective product offerings within this category....Most other chains offer the full sweet of electronics including brown and white goods which have lower margins and are far more susceptable to economic cycles....
Hence the reasons why JBH is extremely different and far more profitable...they are a smarter business, with a better business model and are far more profitable....
JBH has recognised and targeted personal enetertainment, because it is now almost a necessity in most households....in terms of weekly budgets personal entertainment is the fastest growing area of spending....
I never fall in love with any stock, it owes me nothing, but from a fundamental view point JBH is a super star performer.........and nothing in its immediate outlook thats under the companys control is likely to change that....
"Unlike the other electronic retailers JBH has a focus on personal enetertainment and has selective product offerings within this category....Most other chains offer the full sweet of electronics including brown and white goods which have lower margins and are far more susceptable to economic cycles...."
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?